“We are fulfilling the commitment assumed by the Government to prioritize early childhood care,” said the president of the Institute for Children and Adolescents of Uruguay (INAU), Pablo Abdala, at the official act to install the commission for the 35 years of the Child and Family Care Center Plan (CAIF). In 2023, there will be 8,000 more places for children between 0 and 3 years old and 41 new centers throughout Uruguay.
The members of the board of that institution, Natalia Argenzio and Aldo Velázquez, also participated in the event, held this Wednesday the 28th, at the INAU headquarters; the general director of the organization, Dinorah Gallo, and the head of the Executive Secretariat for Early Childhood, Luján González. Also in attendance were the president of the Mayors’ Congress, Fernando Echeverría, and the director of the Early Childhood program, Laura Enciso.
In 2022, the CAIF had 3,490 seats and thus exceeded the established goal of 3,300, Abdala reported at a press conference. “These are figures that exceeded our projections,” he stressed. He also announced that by 2023 it is planned to offer 8,000 more places for children up to 3 years of age.
In this sense, he clarified that the work schedule includes opening more than 40 centers throughout Uruguay, expanding and converting 80 already existing ones, and inaugurating 47 mobile rooms that are under construction.
“We ended the year very satisfied with the management, because we are fulfilling the commitment assumed by the Government to prioritize early childhood care,” he pointed out. And he added: “In these 35 years the country has followed a very accurate path in terms of early childhood care, responding to children, their families and the community.”
Abdala announced that the commission for the 35 years of the CAIF Plan, installed this Wednesday, will disseminate, expand and deepen public policies in this area, with new proposals related to governance, institutionality and the functioning of the commission.
This area is made up of representatives from INAU, the Ministries of Public Health (MSP), Education and Culture (MEC) and Social Development (Mides), the Administration of State Health Services (ASSE), the Congress of Mayors, the National Food Institute (INDA), the National Public Education Administration (ANEP) and the Social Organizations Commission.
